International Journal of Higher Education Pedagogies

Exploring Barriers, Facilitators, and Benefits of Research-Based Teaching in Higher Education

Jenna Marie Strizzi — 2026-07-02

Research-based teaching (RBT) promotes critical thinking, engagement, and scientific competence, yet its implementation in universities is often hindered by structural, pedagogical, and emotional challenges. This study explored student and professor perceptions of the barriers, facilitators, and benefits of RBT in a third-year undergraduate psychology course. Using a qualitative design, two focus groups were conducted with students (n = 6) and professors (n = 4), and transcripts were thematically analyzed following Braun and Clarke (2006). Three overarching themes emerged. First, attitudes toward RBT reflected positive prior experiences alongside concerns about complexity and fear, while participants emphasized benefits such as enhanced critical thinking, real-world application, increased engagement, and a culture of inquiry. Second, context-dependent barriers included limited academic skills, resistance to change, time constraints, and large class sizes, whereas facilitators involved relevant topics, student choice, current research, and instructor enthusiasm. Overall, effective RBT requires institutional support, smaller groups, and structured skill scaffolding.

Cross-Cultural Examination: The Interplay of Self-Esteem and Academic Help-Seeking Among British and Chinese Students

Hsin Yi Shih — 2026-07-02

Academic help-seeking is a key self-regulatory strategy, yet engagement varies with cultural and contextual influences, including self-esteem and study-abroad experience. This study examined associations between self-esteem and academic help-seeking among British and Chinese postgraduate students studying at home or abroad. Of 115 participants, 99 were included after data cleaning. Participants completed self-esteem, help-seeking attitudes, and help-source preference scales. Group comparisons and correlations showed that British students reported higher self-esteem and preferences for family support, whereas Chinese students studying abroad reported the lowest self-esteem and Chinese students studying at home were more likely to seek instructor help. Self-directed resources were preferred across groups. Self-esteem was positively associated with constructive help-seeking and negatively associated with perceived threat. Results also support culturally responsive interventions, including pre-departure orientation, peer mentoring, and accessible digital support. Future longitudinal and mixed-method research is recommended to examine causal pathways and contextual influences over time.

Neurodiversity and Neoliberalism: Talking with University Academic Advisors about Students with Dyslexia

James Moir — 2026-07-02

This case study explores how dyslexia is discursively constructed in relation to higher education by Academic Advisors at a UK university in terms of the forms of support offered. Modern understanding of dyslexia has shifted from the view that it is a disability or deficiency to considering the condition as a form neurodiversity. However, there is some uncertainty in higher education concerning practical support implications and therefore this study examines issues surrounding reasonable adjustments for these students. A discourse analysis approach to was used to examine interview transcript material resulting in three contrasting themes. First, diagnosis was set in contrast to disposition where dyslexia is professionally confirmed as condition but then undermined through references to student agency and resilience. Second, dyslexia was discussed in terms of support for coursework submission but was set in contrast to a meritocratic notion of fairness for all students. Third, there was recognition for reasonable adjustment under the terms of the Equality Act, but this was set in contrast to resource pressures. The net result of these discursive constructions is to maintain the status quo whereby dyslexia is recognised as a diagnosed condition but set within a neoliberal ideology of individual coping and adjustment rather than aligning with the principles of universal design for learning associated with neurodiversity.